A HOME Office pathologist has claimed there had been "overwhelming evidence" of a double murder in the Sally Clark case.

Dr Alison Armour was giving her view when she appeared before the General Medical Council as it resumed the case of Dr Alan Williams.

Dr Williams, 58, a Home Office forensic pathologist, is alleged to have botched post-mortem examinations on 12-week-old Christopher Clark in 1996 and his eight-week-old brother, Harry, in 1998.

He is also accused of not disclosing evidence that could have helped clear their mother, who was wrongly convicted of their murders in 1999.

Mrs Clark, a solicitor from Wilmslow, was cleared by the Court of Appeal in 2003.

At first, Dr Williams said Christopher had died of a lung infection, but changed his mind after Harry's death, and claimed he was smothered.

He told Mrs Clark's murder trial that Harry appeared to have been shaken to death, but he did not keep proper records of tests, throwing doubt on the quality of his work, the GMC had heard.

Microbiology results from Harry's post mortem suggested he may have died from bacteria staphylococcus aureus, but Dr Williams did not disclose this.

Bleeding

Dr Armour told the hearing that the presence of bacteria during a post mortem did not mean there had been an infection.

She said in 1998 she would have referred to the microbiology results, but insisted there was no evidence of infection. She added: "I disagree that the microbiology results show Harry Clark's body may have been fighting infection."

Referring again to the case of Harry, she claimed: "There are still facts to support a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome - swelling to the spinal cord, and bleeding into the optic nerve. My view is by the time Dr Williams came to do the autopsy of Harry Clark, the evidence he was dealing with a double homicide was, in my view, overwhelming."

She claimed there was "sufficient evidence" for shaken baby syndrome in Harry's case.

She added that, in her opinion, Christopher's death was "unascertained".

Dr Armour was questioned whether an infant could die from infection exceptionally quickly and without discernible symptoms.

She replied: "I have carried out autopsies of infants of this age that have died as a result of infection. They are few and far between. They all come with a history . . . listless, crying. Harry Clark was a healthy child. I know of no infective agent that causes death as rapidly."